ENGLAND Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio believes youngsters at a school in Cleethorpes are "some of the very best" he has worked with.
The former captain, who notched up 85 caps for his country, spent time coaching students at the Havelock Academy on Monday as a guest of the school's operator, the David Ross Education Trust.
The 6ft 4in legend gave a motivational speech to youngsters before going through some drills as the school's year 11 team warmed up for a match with Humberston.
And Dallaglio was full of praise for the young players at Havelock.
"It's been fantastic to come down and see the school and what goes on here and to do some coaching," he said.
"The kids are doing a lot more sport and it's incredible to see the enthusiasm of both them and the staff.
"I'm fortunate to be able to work with kids all over the country and actually these have been some of the very best."
The 2003 World Cup winner and 2007 finalist was also due to visit Humberston Academy and Edward Heneage Primary as part of his first trip to Cleethorpes.
Dallaglio spoke of his belief that many of the skills vital to Rugby could also be applied to students' lives both in and out of the classroom.
"Sport plays a huge part in the curriculum because of the values that sit around rugby, like being part of a team and good discipline. But it's also about fun and we've had a lot of fun today," he said.
"Playing sport is also about building up self esteem and self confidence.
"This is a great school and has great facilities. It really is pushing the boundaries in getting kids exposed to more things both in and out of the classroom and I'm very privileged to be able to come and be a part of it."
Thomas Hill, one of the school's Year 11 rugby captains, was inspired by the visit of the England legend.
"I play football a lot but after today I'm starting to think more about rugby," he said.
"Lawrence coming here makes me feel like I want to be a rugby player and, as he said, he didn't start playing until year nine.
"He's very humble about it too and very down-to-earth. He gave us a talk and told us how even when his mum and sister died he was inspired to carry on playing.
"I don't think there's anybody who can say they haven't been inspired by today."
Havelock Academy is one of 100 "new schools" to have been selected for the All Schools rugby programme with the Rugby Football Union (RFU).
Member schools will be given tailored programmes to help them coach younger players.
Dallaglio said he "wasn't a complete stranger to the North of England" having cycled from Aberdeen to York last week as part of a charity drive.
He revealed he would be tucking into a plate of fish and chips at Cleethorpes' Steels restaurant.
" I've had some East Coast experiences so it'll be nice to see how Cleethorpes compares," he said.
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